Wed 28 March 2012

Having done most of the leisurely sightseeing I intended, including going back to try to Iglesa Santo Domingo (and failing: they seem to be either having services or closed, although I always feel a bit disrespectful taking photos or worry that I'll be censured for doing so), I had time to look around the numerous "boutiques" (tiendas: small shops) in Cuenca. None of your massive malls here, at least not in downtown Cuenca that I could see.

As part of my wandering up and down the streets, I came across La Casa de la Mujer, which is on the Plaza San Francisco and are covered stalls selling artesenia (San Francisco Plaza itself is mostly knitwear such as is found in Otavalo, clothing and shoes), including Panama hats (a misnomer as most of them are actually made in Ecuador). If there's one place to buy a cheap Panama hat, I would say that it's here in Cuenca, and in particular, at La Casa. Whereas I was able to buy a medium quality hat (that you can roll up and retain its shape after, but isn't waterproof) for $20, or whatever it was, here you could buy the same quality hat for $10/12.

There were also some of the Cañari traditional costume on sale here, including the velvet skirts and the embroidered blouses to be found in most artesena markets everywhere, as well as carved ornaments, painted glass and metal tablets depicting Guayasamin's work. I was also tempted by some of the intricate beadwork which forms part of the indigena costume here; these are collars of coloured beads about 1½ or more wide, although the ones I liked were less traditional and were more modern with a central 'V.'

Later, in the evening, when I collected my laundry from the morning, I came across a decent-sized bookshop which books in English and other languages, mostly second-hand, from what I could see. I was only able to have a quick look - enough to see a couple of interesting Spanish grammar books - as my laundry wasn't completely ready, as apparently, her water supply had been cut off. I ended up browsing the store for about 15 minutes whilst giving the laundry the extra 20 minutes they wanted, but despite eventually being about 45 minutes after the hour it should have been ready, I was told that my jeans were still not dry and that it wouldn't be ready until 8 am the following morning.

I knew that this would be bad news, as I would be tempted to browse some more in the bookshop the next day…